Cavaliers Coach Commends Key Rotational Forward After Latest Win

Cleveland's Kenny Atkinson had some great things to say about Dean Wade following his performance against Milwaukee on Friday night.

Dec 20, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) drives to the basket against Cleveland Cavaliers forward Dean Wade (32) during the first quarter at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Cavaliers had a strong team win against the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday night, defeating the NBA Cup Champions by a score of 124-101 to begin a three-game homestand.

One of Cleveland's standouts from the team's latest victory was forward Dean Wade, who started in place of recently injured swingman Isaac Okoro.

And Wade delivered one of his best performances of the season, scoring 15 points on 5-for-6 (83.3%) shooting from the field, including 4-for-5 (80%) from three-point range. He also recorded five rebounds, two assists, and two steals in 20 minutes of action.

After the game, Cavaliers Head Coach Kenny Atkinson praised the 28-year-old for his defensive prowess, especially against two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.

"Yeah, you got the defense," Atkinson said. "And if he makes threes like that? Could I say that, you're like, unstoppable. Like, if he can lock up like he locks up and then get the three-ball going, that's really, really hard. You don't find many guys in the league that can defend like him. I mean, you saw him stand up Giannis in the first half on that iso and took it from him."

Dec 20, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) drives to the basket against Cleveland Cavaliers forward Dean Wade (32) during the first quarter at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Offensively, Wade's 15 points, five field goals, and four three-pointers were all his most since October 25 versus the Detroit Pistons, which was the Wine and Gold's second game of the season. In his previous six contests after returning from an ankle sprain, he had shot just 9-for-35 (25.7%) from the field and 7-for-31 (22.6%) from beyond the arc.

"To his credit, I know he's been struggling from three, but he is working on it," Atkinson said. "He is, extra time after practice [Friday] morning, in optional shootaround. He knows he's got to make shots, and we incurred like, 'take more.' We need his volume up."

In his sixth season with the Cavaliers, the 6-foot-9 Wade has appeared in 20 games and started in 11 of them, including four of Cleveland's last five. And a performance like his most recent outing on Friday night was another example of the Wine and Gold's impressive depth, which is among the NBA's best.